A Light In The Dark
by l OmegaInfinity l
Summary: When Ralph attacked Vanellope at the finish line, he knocked down King Candy's podium. See how this one minor change helps change one girl's perspective on her friends, her king, and the glitch of a girl she misjudged. Vanellope/Candlehead Romance in latter chapters. Rated T as a precaution. Cover image credit goes to Xaidon on Deviantart.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: Just kind of wrote this on a whim. Read a few stories with this paring and instantly fell in love with it. But I noticed a common trend: almost all the V/C stories I've seen take place after the movie. So I thought "why don't I try and write one that happens _during_ the movie?" This is the result. Tell me what you think.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Light in the Dark**

The crowds cheer as the racers pull up to the finish line after another successful day of racing. Six of them drive in from the nearby town, where they had spent their day off. The remaining eight were already there, waiting for their king's speech.

One such racer was a girl with with mint green hair, wearing a pink jacket and skirt, along with a brown shirt and leggings. On her head was cake themed hat, the single candle on it burning brightly. This was the girl simply known as Candlehead.

She smiled as she watched her fellow racers arrive. Today had been a good day. In every race she'd been in, she'd placed in the top three. To top it off, she'd even gotten first in one of the final races of the day.

As the racers departed their carts, Candlehead took that as her cue to head towards the racer's stand. As she followed her fellow racers to stand before the king's podium, something glinted in the corner of her eye. Looking, she thought she saw someone duck behind a fan box with Taffyta's name on it. She stared at the spot for a moment, then shrugged and kept walking.

_Must be seeing things. _She thought to herself.

Taking her place among the racers, she waved to her friend Rancis. The boy rolled his eyes a bit, but still gave a small wave back. When Taffyta walked up next to her, Candlehead gave her a high-five before the blond took her place at the head of the group.

Up on the king's podium, a small green sour ball walked up to a microphone. Like always, Candlehead felt a twinge of sympathy at the sight of Sour Bill. The guy just always seemed so... run down. In his constantly tired-sounding voice, Sour Bill gave his usual monotonous introduction:

"Citizens of Sugar Rush... all hail our rightful ruler... King Candy."

Instantly the curtains from the back of the podium exploded open, revealing their eccentric king. "Hello, my royal subjects! Have some candy!"

Digging into his pockets, King Candy threw handfuls of candy out into the crowd. Though the crowd cheered, Candlehead had always thought this... odd, to say the least. Other then the racers themselves, everyone in Sugar Rush _was_ candy, so wasn't giving them candy to eat kind of... weird?

"Thank you for that stirring introduction, Sour Bill," the king said, patting the green man on the head. The sour ball just gave a small nod and walked off, his expression little more then mild annoyance.

Candy King then went into his speech about the Roster Race. Candlehead just tuned him out. She knew she should listen, but, honestly, it was the exact same thing she'd heard every day for the last fifteen years. Thank you to today's avatars, wonderful day of racing, the arcade's closed, big race, first nine racers race tomorrow, need a coin if you want to compete. She'd heard it so often she knew it by heart.

Instead, she let here eyes wander. Naturally, there wasn't much to see, just the same raceway she'd always known. The crowd was hanging onto to King Candy's every word. Most of the racers were too, while the few how weren't seemed to just be letting their minds wander. Rancis even pulled a small mirror out of his pocket and was checking his reflection.

Again, Candlehead caught a glint in the corner of her eye. Looking, she saw someone come out from behind the same box as before. With the crowd distracted, no one seemed to notice the girl push a card under a tarp out onto the track. The girl had the hood up on her hoodie, (_odd, every other human in Sugar Rush wore racing jackets_) so Candlehead couldn't see who it was. Sticking out of her pocket was what had glinted in Candlehead's eye: a gold coin.

The cake-themed girl was shaken from her thoughts when she saw more glints all around her. King Candy had apparently reached the end off his speech and had called for everyone to pull out their payment to race.

Candlehead quickly reached into her pocket and retrieved her own coin. Putting it in both hands, she held it out so the king could see it. Then, with a large toss, King Candy threw his coin onto the catapult behind them all, which then launched it into the Winner's Cup.

"King Candy!"

The King's name was added to the blank racer's screen, the automated announcer saying his name. Candlehead always found it strange that his name was said in a different voice then the rest of the racers, but she figured it was just because he was King.

After him came Taffyta. As her name went up on the scoreboard, she jumped up, actually hovering in the air, and said to the crowd, "Stay sweet!" How she could hover like that was anyone's guess.

The racers got in line, each reading to toss their coin. As Candlehead took her place at the end of the line, she caught sight of that strange racer again, pushing her covered cart next to Taffyta's. Once it was in place, the racer ran up towards the line of racers, taking her place behind Candlehead. Candlehead caught a glimpse of the girls face. While her face was covered in the shadow of her hood, and the goggles over her eyes hid some of her features, one thing was obvious: the girl was very nervous.

Candlehead shook off her thoughts and looked forward. It was her turn to toss. She watched as her coin sailed through the air and entered the cup, her name lighting up on the board.

As she walked away, she glanced back at the mystery racer. Candlehead noted that the coin she held was very different from the one she herself had used. It was much thinner, and had a blue ribbon attached to it's top. The word "HERO" was embossed on it's front.

Curiosity piqued, Candlehead stopped walking towards her cart and instead watched as the hooded girl held the coin in both hands. She stared at it for a moment, as if she was afraid to let it go. Then, she gave the coin a kiss, then threw it onto the catapult. The coin was launched into the air, the it's ribbon waving in the wind. Unlike the other coins, this one didn't simply land in the cup. It bounced off the rim of it, landing on the other side of the cup. It then started to roll around the rim of the cup, almost like it was teasing the racer.

Looking at said racer, Candlehead was dumbfounded by the girl's reaction. The racer was staring up at the rolling coin, her fists clenched, a look of absolute desperation on her face. It was almost as if her entire life was riding on this one coin.

Candlehead was just about to ask the girl what was wrong when the coin fell in.

"Vanellope von Schweetz!"

Candlehead felt her code chill.

The Glitch.

Vanellope looked around the finish line in shock. Then, she jumped up, her body breaking apart into a shower of blocky blue code before forming back together again. As she landed on the ground, she ripped down her hood, her goggles coming off with it. "Yippee! I'm in the race!"

King Candy stared down at the track in shock. "Vanellope!?"

Taffyta, catching sight of the covered cart, ripped of the tarp, revealing a patchwork peddle cart that seemed to have been thrown together with bits and pieces of broken carts. "The Glitch!" Taffyta growled, her voice filled with scorn.

Candlehead stood frozen. While Taffyta and Rancis had faced the Glitch before, she'd only seen it a few times, usually whenever she... _it_ had tried to sneak into a race. But those times she'd seen it from a distance, running from the cops. But now...

Now it was only a few feet from her.

The crowd started to panic. King Candy had told them all about the glitch. How it was a mistake, a creature that should have never existed. How dangerous it was; how, if anyone in the arcade knew it existed, their game, their world, would be doomed.

Candlehead stared at the Glitch to scared to move. But somewhere, in the back of her mind, a part of her that could still think rationally, took note of one detail.

The Glitch's eyes were wide, flitting back and forth from the panicked candy fans. It's hands seemed to be shaking, and it took a half step backward, like it was ready to bolt.

_The Glitch is scared_, she realized.

"Now, now!" King Candy yelled from his podium, trying to calm the terrified masses. "Everything is all right! Security!"

Two cops, one a donut and one an éclair, came out from the bottom of the podium, brandishing police batons.

"Come'ere, kid!" One said, a frown on his face.

"Were not gonna hurt you, ya little freak!" The other sneered, hitting his baton against the palm of his hand.

This shocked Candlehead. _They... they're not really gonna hurt her... it... are they?_

The Glitch took a few steps back, her form glitching in fear.

Then she ran.

She leapt down onto the track, bolting towards her cart. As she ran passed the racers, they glared at her some with anger some with fear.

Candlehead didn't know what to think. Part of her was scared of the danger it presented. Part of her was angry at the Glitch for possibly putting her home in jeopardy.

But there was another small part. A part that had seen the hope on the Glitch's face when she tossed that strange coin. A part that had seen the joy when she had seen her name up on the scoreboard. A part that had seen the fear, the terror at the crowds reaction to her.

That part was hoping she'd make it.

The Glitch was almost to her cart, when something pushed it's way out of the candy forest.

It was giant, towering over every everyone by at least eight feet. It's body seemed to be made of green taffy, bits of different candy sticking randomly out of it's body. And in it's eyes... rage.

"You!" It bellowed, pointing at the Glitch. "Give me back my medal right now!"

"Oh, boy!" The Glitch yelled, turning back towards the crowd. The two cops took one look at the monster and ran, the other racers not far behind. The monster charged across the track, it's eyes focused only on the Glitch.

The Glitch ran up towards the stands, blasting past Candlehead. Her eyes glanced at one of the fan box's like she was contemplating hiding under it, but instead made a break for the arch under the king's stand.

Candlehead had no idea what happened. Through the whole ordeal, she'd been staring at the Glitch in shock. Once the taffy monster made it's appearance, her mind screamed at her to move, to run, to do something! For some reason, her body refused to move. That is, until she heard King Candy yell.

As the Glitch ran under the podium, the monster tried to follow. However, it couldn't fit. So what did it do?

It picked up the podium, and threw it into the air.

King Candy and Sour Bill went flying, crashing into a stand full of marshmallow fans. As the king screamed on his descent, Candlehead looked up and saw the podium hurtling towards her. Her body final decided to move...

...one second too late.

She had just enough time to give a scream of fear...

...before everything went dark.

* * *

Vanellope kept running, the monster chasing her deeper and deeper into the candy town. Candy fans and racers fled all over the place. She could have sworn she saw Taffyta jump in a trash can in an attempt to hide. Vanellope tied everything to out maneuver the giant monster, but every wall she jumped over, every concession stand she crawled under, the monster behind her just smashed right through it. Looking around desperately, she saw something in the distance: a cupcake tower, like the one next to the finish line.

She shook her head. _But he wouldn't be so stupid to..._

Glancing behind her, she saw the giant trip over a sidewalk curb, before clambering up to keep chasing her.

She smirked. _Maybe he is..._

Taking a sharp left, Vanellope made a bee-line for the tower, the monster hot on her heels. Reaching it, she scramble through the legs of the tower. Once on the other side, she turned around and waited.

Sure enough the monster simple batted the legs of the tower aside, the cupcake on top flying up into the air. He brought back his arm, about to try and grab her, when a shadow came over his face, he looked up.

_Splat!_

Vanellope couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the big green giant trapped inside the cupcake, still trying to grab her. She danced once around him for a moment, celebrating her victory, before running off.

"Come back here!" The monster yelled before falling over, immobile.

Laughing at her success, Vanellope started running back towards the finish line, and her cart. As she did, she was dimly aware of the two cops from before running up to the monster, batting him (ineffectively) with their batons.

When she got to the track, she was surprised to find it... empty. The racers, the fans, King Candy, Sour Bill; everyone was gone. Looking back at the town, she could here still yelling, and what sounded like King Candy giving directions from a megaphone.

_Everyone must be trying to put the town back together,_ she thought. She smiled. _Makes getting out of here a lot easier ._

She started to run towards her cart when she heard a soft sound.

She froze. It was very faint, but she knew she'd heard it. She looked around, trying to figure out where it came from. Everything seemed fine, save for King Candy's podium, which lay a crumpled mount of cloth and metal.

Her eyes widened. _No way._

She walked up to the smashed podium, straining her ears. With a start, she heard it again.

It was a single word, small and sad and filled with pain.

"Help..."

* * *

Candlehead opened her eyes to blackness.

Instantly, her heart started hammering. She was scared of the dark. Monsters lived in the dark.

Now that she was awake, however, the candle on her hat started to warm, a tiny flame flickering into existence. Now with a bit of light, she calmed, but not by much. Now able to see, she looked around.

Broken metal bars surrounded her on all sides, like some kind of cramped, twisted cage. Draped and woven around the bars was a large red and white striped cloth.

A sudden pounding in her head alerted her to a large headache, possibly a concussion. Slowly, the memory of the crashing podium came back to her. She let out an relived sigh. She was alive! Of course, no one could die in Sugar Rush; it wasn't that kind of game. But just because you couldn't die didn't make the pain any less real. Deciding to crawl out, Candlehead tried to lift herself of the ground.

"Augh!"

The moment she tried to move her legs, a pain like she'd never felt before surged through her. Looking down, she could see that her left leg was pinned by one of the bars. She grasped the bar and tried to lift it, but the second she touched it, a massive creak sounded throughout the collapsed structure. She froze, instantly releasing the bar. Moving her head as little as possible, she traced the length of the bar. Her breathing grew choppy as she followed the lings of twisted metal. From the looks of it, the bar pinning her leg was the load-bearing for the broken podium. If it fell, the whole thing would collapse on top of her. Even though she knew she wouldn't die, the though of how much pain all that weight would cause...

Candlehead's eyes slammed shut as she tried to erase the thought from memory. Opening them again, she looked around. Her candle flickered dimly, reflecting her mood. Out of options, she did the only thing she could think of.

"Help..."

She mentally kicked herself. That was too quiet, no one was going to hear...

"Hello? Is someone in there."

Candlehead's head popped up at the voice, her candle instantly burning brighter. "Yes." Her voice was very small. She coughed a few times and tried again, louder this time. "Yes! Yes, I'm in here. I'm trapped."

"Oh, man." The voice said worriedly. _Odd,_ thought Candlehead. _Her voice sounds familiar but she doesn't sound like any of the racers... _"Hold on, I'm gonna try and get you out." The structure then gave an ominous moan.

"Wait, stop!" Candlehead screamed. The creaking stopped instantly as the person outside froze. "You can't just take it apart. This whole place is about to come down."

"Well then how do I get you out?"

"I..." The words caught in Candlehead's mouth. Tears staring to form, she choked them out. "I don't know."

Both sides were then silent. Candlehead started to despair. If she stayed in here, the structure would eventually collapse on her. But if the girl outside tried to get her out, she'd get buried anyway.

Her inner torment was broken when the person out side called to her. "Hey, you got a name?"

Candlehead nodded, before realizing how useless that was. "Y-Yes. I'm Candlehead."

A soft gasp sounded from the person. "Taffyta and Rancis's friend." The person was quiet, before taking a deep breath. "Okay. Candlehead, I think I've got a way to get you out of there. But you're gonna have to trust me."

The green haired girl was confused. "W-Why...?"

"Just...! ...just, please trust me." The voice had gotten really quiet, almost hesitant. Candlehead realized the person was worried about something. "And... don't freak out."

_Freak out? Why would I...?_

Candlehead's mind stalled as cubes of blue code started floating into the structure, passing right through the cloth and the bars. At first it was just a small trickle, but soon it became a torrent of data swirling in the air.

Candlehead realized what it was, who she had been talking to. She knew she should be scared, but as she watched the millions of tiny blue lights twist and dance in the air, she only had one thought:

_So... Beautiful..._

Soon the code started to compact in one spot right next to Candlehead, a small space just barely big enough for one person. The data got denser and denser, a humanoid form starting to appear. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, like one of the small glitches she had seen before. Not a foot away from her stood The Glitch.

Candlehead stared at her, dumbfounded by what had just happened. The Glitch pressed her hands to her head, as if dizzy. "Whoa... never tried that before." She shook her head to clear it, then caught site of the girl before her. "Candlehead!" She exclaimed, kneeling next to the racer.

Candlehead looked up at her dumbly. Instinct told her to get away, to freak out. But that instinct was being suppressed by that same part of her mind from before. All that part could think was: _The Glitch is helping me._

A snapping sound brought her attention to the gi-glitch beside her. "Hey, Candle. You okay?"

Candlehead had to work her mouth a few times before words came out. "U-Uh, y-yeah, I'm fine." _Other then the beam crushing my leg..._

If the Glitch noticed the way Candlehead was acting, she didn't voice it. Instead, she looked at Candlehead's leg. Very gently, she poked the bar pinning her down. The destroyed podium gave a small shudder, illustrating just how fragile it was. The Glitch shook her head. "Yeah, you're stuck good. There's no way were lifting this without taking the whole place down."

Candlehead's flame dimmed, a look of fear on her face. "Then what are we going to do?"

The Glitch looked away for a moment. Then she took a deep breath, as if steeling herself. She turned and looked directly into Candlehead's eyes, amber orbs locking with green ones. "Remember when I said you had to trust me?"

Candlehead stiffened. _Trust the Glitch?_ "Yes..." she answered, apprehension obvious.

This was not lost on the Glitch. She took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. "Look, I get it." Candlehead tilted her head in confusion. "I know what you think of me." Her voice got low, and her eyes lowered. "You think I'm some kind of freak." The racer's eyes widened at her bluntness. "I've heard King Candy's 'warnings.'" The last word was said with a large amount of venom. "To stay away from The Glitch that hides in the junkyard. You and the other racers, you think that I'm just a piece of messed up programing, a glitch in the game code. A...a mistake."

The Glitch seemed to be holding back tears now. Candlehead just listened in silent shock. She was about to say something, what, she didn't know, when The Glitch continued. "And your probably right." Candlehead's mouth slammed shut in shock. The Glitch chuckled humorlessly. She sat down on the ground, pulling her legs against her chest. "Surprised? I'm not an idiot, Candlehead. My code is unstable." As if to prove this fact, her form glitched in a blue flash. Candlehead noted that she didn't even seem to notice. "Normal racers aren't suppose to zap around or break down their code at will. I know I'm not suppose to be a racer. But...but I can just feel it inside me. Racing's in my code. And all I want is the chance, just the _chance_, to prove that even though I wasn't suppose to be a racer, I can be one anyway."

Candlehead listened silently. She had to admit, The Gli- the girl made a good argument. But... what about everything King Candy had said?

The girl turned to Candlehead, a smile that didn't reach her eyes on her face. "So I get why you don't trust me. But you're stuck here, and when this place comes down, you're going to be in a world of hurt." Candlehead flinch at her bluntness, but knew she was right. "Now, I don't like seeing people get hurt. So, just this once, I ask you, please... trust me."

Candlehead stared into the girl's deep amber eyes, searching for any kind of deceit. Instead, all she saw as an honest need to help. She thought over the girl's little speech, of how passionate she had sounded, and how broken she had been in some places. Letting out a sigh, she nodded.

"Okay."

The girl beamed, suddenly full of life. "Okay! Give me your hands."

With a slight hesitation, Candlehead held out her hands. The girl held out her own as if to hold them... then wrapped Candlehead in a hug.

Candlehead felt her face redden at the sudden proximity. "W-Wha..."

"Quiet, please," the girl said softly in her ear. "I need to focus."

Surprised, Candlehead just nodded and stayed silent, trying to ignore the burning in her cheeks. With no idea on what to do, the green haired racer simply wrapped her own arms around the girl's waist.

Everything was silent for a few seconds. Then...

"Okay...and...glitch!"

Candlehead's mind went into overdrive. A sudden blue flash, and she felt like she was floating, lighter then air. It was like she could see everything and nothing at the same time. She was everywhere and nowhere. It felt...it felt...

Amazing.

Just as quickly as it started, it was over. Whereas she had been straining to see anything in the darkness before, she was now blinded by sunlight all around them. They were on the empty raceway. Voices could be heard from the town nearby, but they were very faint.

A sudden crash sounded in front of her. She watched as the crumpled remains of the King's podium collapsed in on itself. She gulped when she realized she had almost been at the bottom of that.

She stared at mass of twisted metal for a few seconds. Suddenly, she heard a voice speak into her ear. "Um, Candlehead? You can let go now."

Candlehead leapt back, a new blush painting her face. She stared at the girl in front of her for a few seconds, her mind still working slowly.

The girl gave her a worried look. "Hey, you okay, Candle?"

Candlehead Finally snapped out of her stupor with a shake of her head. "Y-Ye-Yes! Yes, I'm fine. A lot better now that I'm out of... that." She said bobbing her head towards the mess next to them.

The girl let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. Well, I better get going before His Royal Lameness sicks the cops on me again."

Candlehead should have been angry at her for insulting her king, but for some reason she just laughed. "Okay. Thanks for helping me out of there."

The girl waved her off. "Don't mention it. People got to watch out for each other." The sound of voices was off in the distance, but was getting louder. "Bye!"

Candlehead watched as the girl ran to her makeshift cart. She gave a glance up at the scoreboard, at all the names on it. She noted hers and the girls name at the very bottom. Contemplating for a moment, she called out. "Hey, Vanellope!"

Vanellope, halfway in her cart, turned around, a look of absolute shock on her face.

Candlehead gave her a wave good bye. "See you later!"

A wide grin spread across Vanellope's face. She waved back enthusiastically before peeling off down the track faster then Candlehead thought a peddle car possible.

Candlehead chuckled. _Guess that girl isn't so bad after all._

"Hey, Candlehead!"

Said girl turned around to see Taffyta and Rancis running up to her. "Where have you been?" Taffyta asked.

"Uh," _I can't tell her I was with Vanellope. _An idea came to her._ Doesn't mean I still can't tell the truth. _"I got stuck under the podium" She said, bobbing her head towards the wreckage. "Just pulled myself out."

Rancis blinked, then looked over at the mass of steel and cloth. "You were stuck under all of that?"

Candlehead nodded. "Uh-huh."

He raised an eyebrow. "And you're... okay?"

She nodded again. "Yep. Well, my leg is a little sore, but other wise I'm fine.

Rancis looked her over, taking note of how scuffed up her clothes seemed to be. Then he nodded. "Huh. You're tougher then I thought."

"Thanks!" She turned to Taffyta, her head tilting as she did. "Um, why do you Tootsie Roll wrappers in your hair, Taffyta?"

The blonde quickly brushed out her hair with her hand, trying to rid herself of the trash as Rancis snickered behind her. "Doesn't matter." She looked up at the scoreboard, her eyes narrowing on the last name. "Don't suppose you know where The Glitch went, do you?"

Candlehead could feel her palms start to sweat. She was never good at lying to Taffyta. _Um... play dumb! _"Um... I don't think so."

Taffyta rolled her eyes at that. "Airhead," she mumbled under her breath. Candlehead narrowed her eyes slightly at that, but kept quiet. Taffyta looked back at Candlehead. "We're going to find the other racers and go teach The Glitch a lesson."

Candlehead felt a chill go down her spine at the Taffyta's words. "Um... what kind of lesson?"

Taffyta gave her a menacing smile. "We're going break that little Popsicle stick cart of hers."

Taffyta started walking back to town, Rancis write behind her. Candlehead stood glued to the spot. _But... that'd destroy her..._

Taffyta looked over her shoulder, noticing that Candlehead hadn't moved. "You coming?"

The green haired girl froze. _C'mon, think fast._ "Uh, my leg still hurts a bit. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up."

Taffyta stared at her for a minute, then she scoffed and kept walking. Once her and Rancis were out of site, Candlehead ran for her cart. Firing up the engine, she tore down the road towards where the glitchy girl had gone, only one thought on her mind

_I have to warn Vanellope!_

**A/n: Okay, people it's up to you now. Should I keep writing, or should I just stop while I'm ahead. Let me know in the reviews.**

**See you latter.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Junkyard

**A/n: I personally think the junkyard in the movie left a lot to be desired, so I decided to add my own details. Also, as I have no idea how time is suppose to pass in an arcade game, I'm going to have time pass in Sugar Rush the same way it does in the real world. Sorry if you disagree with my choices.**

* * *

Chapter 2: The Junkyard

_Where is that girl?_

Candlehead was getting worried. She'd been driving down the track for ten minutes, yet she didn't see any sign of Vanellope. How the girl had gotten so far ahead with only a few minutes head start was beyond her.

_I mean, she was in a pedal kart! Where could she have gone so fast?_

A bright red flashing drew her eyes away from the track. Candlehead rolled her eyes seeing that it was just the _WRONG WAY_ light on her dashboard. Sometimes, living in a game world could be annoying.

Finally, she saw an old peanut-brittle sign pointing off of the main raceway, down a chocolate dirt road. The word 'JUNKYARD' was painted messily in faded white frosting.

_Well, I don't have any better ideas._

She followed the road, a dust cloud kicking up behind her. Before long, she passed through the junkyard gates, slowing to a crawl. All around her were years and years worth of junked karts, stacked high in mounds of crushed candy and burnt sweets.

Candlehead carefully maneuvered between the haphazardly piled karts, her eyes darting nervously back-and-forth between the numerous piles of scrap. Truth be told, she was quite sheltered compared to the rest of the racers. Despite having virtually free rein during closing time, Candlehead, in her free time, had never gone beyond the candy town and a few of her favorited tracks in all the years since Sugar Rush had been plugged in. She got enough adventure putting her pedal to the floor when she raced, so what was the point of exploration?

Therefore, she was feeling _way_ out of her element as she passed the twisted remains of what looked to be one of Minty Zaki's karts.

She'd seen her many wrecks in her time as a racer, having a fair share of her own. Despite the colorful look of her game, she knew that the races in Sugar Rush could get violent, sometimes downright sadistic. It wasn't uncommon for a racer to be forced off a cliff, or sent flying through one of the giant gumball machines lining Gumball Gorge. While racers themselves would suffer no lasting injuries, their karts, on the other hand, would often be completely mangled. However, once they were towed away by the rock-candy wrecking crew, the racers never paid any mind what happened to their old rides, a new one spawning by the time the next race started.

Well, now Candlehead was given a full view of what happens to them: they get left to rot.

She continued edging down the road trying to ignore the way the shadows of the junkyard seemed to twist and bend, forming things created by her overactive imagination. At least, she _hoped_ they were from her imagination. Why would Vanellope choose to live here?

She was almost ready to just start yelling Vanellope's name in the hopes of the glitchy girl hearing her, when something caught her eye.

She stomped on the brakes, her kart lurching to a stop.

Candlehead just stared for a minute, uncomprehending the sight before her. With a jerky motion, she clambered out of her kart, her eyes never leaving what caught her attention. She slowly moved forward, towards a particularly precarious pile of parts. She reached out a trembling hand and placed it...

...on the front of her kart.

The entire front axle was missing, wheels and all. The frosting that covered it was dark and crusted, having dried long ago. Of the four candles on the back, only one still stood, two having snapped off, the fourth melted into a puddle of wax, leaving pink streaks running down the side of the kart and onto the ground, covering the faded number seven on it's side.

Candlehead was speechless. A memory drifted into her mind, a race she'd let fade from her mind.

* * *

_Snow blasted in her face as she tore down the powdered mountain track. Her kart's candles blazed, a shower of sparks raining down behind her. Wind whipped at her hair, threatening to tear her special helmet right off her head._

_What a rush._

_She shifted gears and cut the wheel hard, drifting through a sharp turn. __Adorabeezle, who had played it safe on the inside, was left in the snow, the bright number __**three**__ on Candlehead's dash changing to a __**two**__._

_She watched as, up ahead, Swizzle crashed into the side of the track AGAIN as he failed a turn. Poor Swizzle, completely at the mercy of a player who, while a decent racer most of the time, couldn't drift to save her life. As such, Swizzle completely blew passed the line of power-ups._

_Candlehead smirked._

_She was enveloped in a rainbow flash as her kart morphed, the giant form of an Ice Cream Cannon appearing on the back of her kart. Quickly, she took aim, and fired._

_High above her, she heard the player groan as Swizzle disappeared under a giant glob of vanilla ice cream. _

_Candlehead let out a cry of victory as she shot passed Swizzle sticking his head out the top of the frozen treat, the number __**one**__ flashing on her dashboard._

_'Now,' she thought. 'If I can just hit the short-cut, this race is in the bag!'_

_A brown speck appeared in the distance, rapidly approaching. The words 'ROAD CLOSED' became legible as she neared. _

_When she was almost to the short-cut, everything on her dashboard started flashing. Looking down, dread filled her as the word 'WARNING!' flashed repeatedly. _

_On instinct, she looked behind her. She had just enough time to see Rancis smirking from his kart, as a Sweet Seeker honed in on her._

_Candlehead tried to swerve, too late. Just as she smashed through the sign, about to drop to the short-cut, the seeker hit. _

_The shock wave of the blast sent her flying to the right as she dropped off. The kart tilted sideways and glanced of the track below, shearing off the front axle. The kart tumbled down the mountain side, candles snapping off and fizzing out, Candlehead feeling every hit. She saw the rocky spikes at the foot of the mountain rushing towards her..._

* * *

Candlehead gasped as she snapped out of it. She looked at the wrecked Ice Screamer in front of her, then back at it's pristine twin right behind her. For some reason, a twinge of guilt shot through her, at how something so important to her, that she took so much pride in, could be replaced and forgotten about so easily.

_*****Smash!*_

Candlehead jumped away in fright as the metallic thud echoed throughout the junkyard.

"Hey!" A gruff voice yelled from behind the pile of karts. "Watch it!"

Scared, but curious, Candlehead moved away from her broken kart and peeked around the pile. When she saw the source of the sound, she froze.

There were two of them, each standing at a good seven feet, and each made of what looked like colored, transparent crystal. Each of their bodies were of a large rectangular piece, spiked at the top, as if the crystal had been broken there. Their eyes and mouths were just holes in the crystal, holes that morphed and twisted with every blink, every word. Their arms and legs were oddly proportioned, their forearms twice the size of their upper arms, their legs similarly designed. The two beings were different colors, one green, and the other a deep purple.

Candlehead didn't know what to make of them, until she caught sight of the vehicle behind him: A tow truck, it's size dwarfing any kart, made entirely out of purple rock candy. On the side of the truck, written in yellow rock candy, was a logo: 'ROCK CANDY WRECKING CO.'

Her focus was brought back to the two when the green one spoke, Candlehead then noticing the battered remains of Taffyta's on the ground in front of him.

"Sorry, Boss!" The green Wrecker said, his voice rough, but not overly so. "It slipped."

The purple one, apparently the boss, let out a huff. "Well, be more careful! We're running out of room out here, and the last thing I need is to go tell King Candy that the Rookie got himself buried... _AGAIN!_"

The green one nodded as best one could without a neck. "Yes, Boss! Sorry, Boss!"

The Boss put a four fingered hand to his forehead, a scraping noise sounding as he massaged his temples. "Save the chocolate nosing for later, Rookie, and get on with it! Start with the engine, then the dash."

The Rookie did a quick salute. "Yes, Sir!" He then popped the hood of the kart and started to wrestle out the engine with his bear hands.

The Boss just let out a groan, staring up at the sky as if wishing for the sun to speed up.

Candlehead just watched the exchange, glued to the spot. On the one hand, she was terrified of the two lumbering brutes, both due to their size and the attitude the purple one was giving off. On the other, though, they worked here, so maybe they knew where she could find Vanellope!

As Candlehead tried to work up the gall to approach them, she watched as the green "Rookie" struggled to remove the engine. She tilted her head a bit, wondering what was the point.

Apparently, this though was echoed by the rookie. "Hey boss? Remind me again why we have to remove all these parts? Wouldn't it be easier... and _faster_... to just leave the whole kart?"

The Boss's eye-holes widened as far as they could go, before he let out a legitimate roar. "For the love of Gobstoppers, man, are you serious!? Fifteen blasted years we've been doing this job and you _STILL_ can't remember anything for more then a week!?"

The Rookie looked at him, what passed for hurt on his features. "Well, I can't help it! I'm programed to be inexperienced."

The Boss reached out his arms, as if contemplating to strangle the Rookie, (how would that work?) before taking a deep, long breath. He let it out slowly, before speaking in slow, deliberate words. "Okay, Rookie, one more time, and please, for all that is good and holy in this pixelated cavity of a game, try to remember this time. Okay?"

The Rookie nodded vigorously, a dopey smile plastered on his face. All the Boss could do was hang his head as best he could in defeat, before trudging on.

"Okay, our job is to collect crashed karts... do you at least remember that?" The Rookie took on a thoughtful look, causing the Boss to groan again. "_Why do I even_... okay, okay, look, I'll make this as simple as possible. This junkyard is the one place King Candy gives the Glitch free reign to roam... _and if you tell me that you forgot the Glitch, I'm gonna beat the sugar out of ya!_" That last bit making the Rookie slam his mouth shut, his question dieing on his... lips? "_Any_way, because the Glitch is somehow smart enough to know how to build her own kart, King Candy gave us explicit instructions that every kart that comes through that gate must be stripped of all it's essential parts; engine, dashboard, wheels, everything."

From her hiding spot, Candlehead glanced back at her old kart. She now noticed that, yes indeed, the back wheels were gone, as was the dashboard. The back hood of the kart was open, and Candlehead had the feeling that, if she looked, the engine would be missing.

The Boss continued. "Then we melt down the old parts, and send the materials to the Kart Factory. Any questions?"

The green Wrecker thought for a moment, his Boss wincing at giving him an opening. The he snapped his fingers. "Just one: why is the Glitch aloud in here?"

The Boss blinked, apparently not expecting a legitimate question. Then he chuckled, the corner of his mouth curling up in a half-smile. "Because I told the King she could. Ya ask me, that whole 'danger of the Glitch' stuff is a load of Jujubes. The kid's loud, obnoxious, annoying, a troublemaker, and over all a headache... but dangerous?" He snorted. "I've seen peppermints deadlier. Long as she doesn't try to wreck the place, the kid can do whatever she wants here."

The Rookie nodded, turning back towards the destroyed Pink Lightning. Then he looked back at the Boss. "Think the Glitch is here now?"

The purple Wrecker shrugged, looking up at the sky. "My guess? She's probably over at that clearing on the northern end, working on the little pedal kart of hers."

The Rookie snorted as he Finally ripped the engine out. "pedal kart?"

This time, the Boss let out a true laugh. "Hey, I wasn't kidding when I said she was smart. I've seen that thing get up to sixty." Then he grimaced a bit, mumbling under his breath. "...right before it fell to pieces."

Candlehead blinked at that. _A pedal kart that could break _sixty_? Well, that explains how see got so far ahead of me. That may not be winning any races, but with that speed, she could defiantly place._

When it was obvious that the Wreckers weren't going to say anymore, Candlehead backed away, edging towards her working kart. As she clambered into the seat, she looked towards the sun, trying to gauge which way was which. Destination in mind, she fired up her kart, turning down the road that was the closest to being north.

As she drove down the wreckage lined roads, she tried to digest the large, and rather troubling, amount of information she'd heard. Well, now she knew why Vanellope lived in the junkyard: it was the only place she was welcomed.

Beyond that though, was the new information she had heard about her king. She knew King Candy had forbidden Vanellope from being a racer, but to go to such lengths, creating more work for his subjects, just to make sure she couldn't have a cart to race with?

That lead to another thought. Something just didn't add up. The common theory among the racers (or at least the racers who cared enough or were bored enough to theorize) was that Vanellope was a glitch because she was an unfinished racer that the developers had abandoned while making the game. What bugged Candlehead now, though, was that... if Vanellope is a glitched racer... shouldn't she already have an equally glitchy kart?

_I'll have to ask her when I see her._

Suddenly, the road twisted and began going up hill. The piles of scraped karts began to get smaller the higher she went, until there was nothing but chocolate dust on either side of the road. As she crested the hill, she found herself looking down clearing on the edge of a sucker forest, surrounded on all sides by hills. A large pile of burnt karts lay stacked off to one side. And in the center, working on her pedal kart...

Was Vanellope.

Candlehead let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't to late.

She revved her engine as she zoomed down the dead-end road. Vanellope looked up at the sound, startled. She watched, an awestruck look on her face, as Candlehead came to a stop next to her.

"Candlehead? Whoa! Didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon... or, at all, really."

As Candlehead got out, she cocked her head to the side, confused. "Huh? Why did you think that?"

A pink tint painted Vanellope's cheeks as she stuttered out a response. "W-Well, I-I just figured that... w-well you being a real racer and all..." She started rubbing her arm self-consciously. "..that you wouldn't have time for...y'know... a Glitch."

Candlehead's eyes widened, taken aback by her words. Is that really what she thought of the racers? Of her? Although, if she was honest with herself, Candlehead had to admit that Vanellope wasn't completely wrong. Candlehead really doubted that Taffyta, or even Adorabeezle would take time out of their day to hang out with Vanellope. But she knew some of the racers would, if they met her. Maybe she could talk to Citrusella or Swizzle about visiting her.

Then Candlehead noticed Vanellope's nervousness; how she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her eyes glancing between Candlehead and the ground. She was scared.

Candlehead felt so bad for her. So, she did the only thing she could think of.

She hugged the girl.

Vanellope's eyes widened at the unexpected motion, her form glitching in shock. It took her a moment before she returned the hug, closing her eyes and embracing the unfamiliar feeling of warmth, a small smile gracing her lips.

After a minute or so, Candlehead pulled back to look Vanellope in the eyes, arms still wrapped around the other girl. She noticed that she was about an inch or two taller then the shorter girl. Still looking her in the eyes, Candlehead spoke.

"I don't care if your a glitch or not. That's no reason for me to avoid you." She gave the glitchy girl a warm smile. "Besides, I always make time for my friends."

Vanellope froze, her form glitching again, Candlehead's arms partly glitching with her. "Friend?" Her voice was a whisper, another glitch taking her. "Y-You want to be my friend?" Tears started to form in her eyes, her glitching growing worse. "You really want to be my friend."

Candlehead felt a small stab of pain in her heart. _Is she really that lonely?_

Candlehead smiled, ignoring the slight numbness in her arms. "No, silly. You're already my friend."

Vanellope glitched again, shock still on her face. Then...

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Candlehead gasped as all the air in her lungs was crushed out. Vanellope laughed as she twirled around, lifting Candlehead off the ground in the process. Vanellope started glitching like crazy, taking Candlehead along for the ride.

"I have a friend! I have a friend"

Candlehead tried to hold it together, but her face quickly started to turn red, from the lack of oxygen if nothing else.

"Vanellope..." She choked out. "I'm gonna hurl!"

Hearing that made Vanellope stop spinning, finally seeing the state her friend... _her friend!_... was in.

"Oh, sorry!" Vanellope let go of Candlehead , the green-haired girl gasping for breath. "Oh, Candlehead, I'm so sorry, I just."

Candlehead waved her of, laughing softly as the air returned to her brain. "Relax, Vanellope. I'm fine, just... just give me a second."

Vanellope watched as Candlehead took deep, slow breaths, the color in her face going back to normal. She giggled to herself, a wide smile on her face. "Wow. I got in the race, and I made a friend. Best. Day. Ever!" She yelled, glitching into the air like she had at the starting line.

Her breathing back to normal, Candlehead started to laugh with her, a light sound like twinkling bells.

When they both calmed down, Vanellope smirked at her new friend. "So, what brings you down here, Candle. I didn't peg you as the dumpster diving sort."

Candlehead's good mood came crashing down real quick, the whole reason for her coming to the Junkyard in the first place rushing back to her. A deep frown etched into her features. "Actually, Vanellope, I came here to warn you."

Vanellope tilted her head to the side. "Warn me? Of what?" She then groaned, rolling her eyes. "Oh, is King Blandy looking for for 'violating my house arrest?'" She said, making air quotes with her fingers.

Candlehead shook her head, not even registering the crack at her king. "No, it's Taffyta!"

Now Vanellope tilted her head, confused. "Taffyta? What about her?"

Candlehead, suddenly aware of her nerves, started wringing her hands together. "She... She was really mad when you got into the race. She and Rancis said that they were going to round up the other racers and... and..."

"And what Candlehead?" Strangely, there was no negativity in her voice. No worry, no anger; just honest curiosity.

Candlehead took a deep breath, dreading what she was about to say. She glanced at the haphazardly made pedal kart. Seeing it up close, she could see all the time and effort Vanellope had put into it. Letting out her held breath, she said, "They want to wreck you're kart."

For a few seconds, Candlehead watched Vanellope, waiting for the outburst, the anger, the fear. Instead...

Vanellope let out an annoyed groan. "Ah, man! It took me months to figure out how to put this thing together!"

Candlehead just stared at her for a moment. Vanellope didn't seem angry, scared, or anything of the sort. If anything, she seemed... annoyed.

"You... you're not mad?"

Vanellope snorted. "Of course I'm mad. I put a lot of work into the Lickety Split. It'll take me all night to make another one."

Candlehead's first thought was: You can build a whole nother kart in one night? Her second thought, however, seemed to take precedent. "You... You... just going to let them break your kart?"

Vanellope looked at her, her annoyance still in her eyes. "Well, yeah. What else am I suppose to do."

The cake-themed racer spluttered in response. "_W-What else are you_... run! Hide! Stay out of sight until the race!"

Vanellope looked Candlehead in the eye. In her eyes, Candlehead saw something she'd never thought possible: acceptance.

"It wouldn't matter. I run, I'll be running all night until I slip up. This way, I'll at least have time to build another one without them breathing down my neck." She gave Candlehead a small smile. "Thanks for the heads up. At least now I know what to expect."

This completely floored Candlehead. She was so flabbergasted that she couldn't form words. By the time she she heard a sound echo through the junkyard that made her code run cold.

Engines... lots of them.

Vanellope turned towards the sound, a determined sigh escaping her. "That's probably them." She turned back to Candlehead. "You should probably get out of here."

Candlehead gaped. "What? No! I'm staying here with you."

Vanellope shook her head vehemently. "Nuh uh, now way. They find out you're my friend, they're hassle you. The last thing I want is my only friend to get treated the same way I do."

The racer stood stock-still. "B-But..."

"Candlehead," Vanellope spoke, pleading in her eyes. "Please."

Candlehead stared at her for a moment. Then she wrapped the glitchy girl in a hug.

"I'm sorry." She whispered into the girls ear.

Vanellope returned the hug tightly. "Thank you." As they separated, she pointed towards the hill opposite of where the engine noises came from, which were getting louder. "Now get out of here."

Candlehead leaped into her cart and, after giving Vanellope one last, long look, tore off over the hill.

The moment she was on the other side, she slammed on the breaks.

_I can't do it. I can't leave her there alone. I... I have to... at the very least, I have to watch over her._

Confident that no one would see her kart, she looked back at the hill. Not far from where she was, she saw a high ridge that seemed to look over the whole clearing. Scrambling to it, she had just poked her head over the edge when Taffyta came roaring down the road.

Before Candlehead could lay down to hide, however, a loud, booming voice called out behind her.

"Hey, kid! Can I talk to you for a second?"

**NEXT TIME:**

**CHAPTER 3: RALPH**

* * *

**A/n: And there it is, the long awaited second chapter to A Light In The Dark. I hope it was worth the wait.**

**For anyone who cares, I have my update schedule at the top of my profile. Check it out if you want to know when to expect chapter 3.**

**Oh, and Xomniac? It's 8:49 where I am. I made my deadline. Happy now? ;-)**


	3. Chapter 3: Ralph

**Chapter 3: Ralph**

For the second time in one day, Candlehead's body froze in fear.

He was huge. At at least nine feet, he was larger than the Rock Candy Wreckers. Broad, obviously strong, clad in a red shirt under brown overalls, one of it's straps snapped.

He was huge.

That was all Candlehead could think. This... man... was larger than anything else in the game.

Candlehead could only stare as the man ran up the hill to her. He stomped to a stop right in front of her. She barely came up to his waist.

"Hey kid, you're a racer, right?"

Candlehead just stared up at him, wide-eyed. "Uh..."

The giant tilted his head at her lack of response. "Uh, you okay, kid?"

More silent staring.

The giant looked side to side. _Am I missing something?_ He thought to himself. "Little girl? Hello?" He waved his hand in front of her face, hoping for a response.

Candlehead staid still, the only thing moving being her eyes following the giants hand as it waved back and forth. _His hands are bigger than his head!_

The giant shifted from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable. "Okay, kid, you're starting to freak me out. Are you sick or something?" With no better idea, he took a massive finger and poked her forehead.

Candlehead quickly found herself siting on the ground, undeniably snapped out of her shock. With a gasp, she started to scramble backwards, away from the giant man.

"Whoa, whoa, easy kid!" The giant said, putting his arms up in a defensive manner. "I'm not gonna hurt ya."

Candlehead froze, just a few feet short of the hilltop. Eyes still wide, she stared at him. "Who...who are you?"

The giant smiled, just happy that the kid was actually talking. "I'm Ralph... Wreck-It Ralph, from Fix-It Felix Jr.?"

Candlehead, still on edge, took a shaky breath. "From... where?"

Ralph's eyes shot open in surprise. "Y'know, Fix-It Felix Jr. Right between Pac-Man and Space Invaders?"

Candlehead was still confused, but something clicked. "You... you're from another game?"

Ralph nodded. "Yep."

Candlehead shook her head, now more confused then ever. "But... that's not possible!"

Ralph tilted his head to the side. "Uh... yes it is."

"No, it isn't!"

"Uh, kid, I'm standing right in front of you." As if to confirm it, he gestured to himself. "I'm pretty sure it is."

Despite how sound his logic was, Candlehead just shook her head. "But... but... people can't leave there games!"

At this, Ralph raised an eyebrow. "Who in the name of Shinnok told you that?"

Candlehead stood up and brushed herself off. "King Candy did! He said that you get deleted if you try to leave your game."

If possible, Ralph looked even more incredulous. "Deleted? Man, that guy _is_ nuttier than a fruitcake."

When he said that, Candlehead's flame seemed to double in size and intensity. "Hey, don't disrespect our king!"

Ralph once again put his hands up in defense. "Whoa, sorry, I'm sorry kid! I didn't mean nothing by it. Just seems a bit weird to me."

Candlehead eyed him, her fear wearing off into weariness. "Okay... well, if you're from another game, why'd you come to Sugar Rush?"

The giant man let out a small scoff. "Trust me kid, it wasn't by choice. Look... uh..."

"Candlehead."

"Candlehead. Look, Candlehead, some kid stole my medal and used it to get into some kind of race."

Candlehead's eyes widened. _Did Vanellope...?_

"Um..." She started uncertainly. "Was this medal... gold? With a blue ribbon?"

Ralph nodded, a hopeful smile on his face. "Yeah! Have you seen it?"

Candlehead nodded hesitantly. "Well... yes... when it went into the winner's cup..."

Ralph's smile faded, replaced with disappointment. "Yeah, I should have figured. Look, kid, you're a racer, right?

Candlehead nodded. "Yes..."

An anxious look formed on Ralph's face. Desperate, even. "Kid, that medal is really important to me. Do you think you could win it back for me?"

Candlehead shifted her feet uncomfortably. Honestly, if she won the race, she would gladly give him his medal. If it was his, it didn't really belong in the game in the first place, right. The only problem was...

"Well... Mr. Wreck-It... I honestly would win back your medal for you if I could, but... I don't win that often."

Ralph deflated a bit at that. Then he straightened up a bit more. "Well, do you think I could talk to the other racers, see if I could make a deal with them or something. I saw them coming this way before I saw you."

Candlehead suddenly felt her code run cold. _The other racers... Vanellope!_

She turned around suddenly, peering over the top of the hill. The other racers had surrounded Vanellope, forming a ring around her with their karts. The racers themselves stood in front of their karts, while Taffyta and Rancis approached Vanellope

_Oh no..._

Candlehead, remembering Vanellope's plea for her not to be seen, flattened herself against the ground.

Behind her, Ralph followed her gaze, confused. His eyes suddenly narrowed, as he stepped next to Candlehead. "Hey, it's that little crumb snatcher!"

"Shh!" Candlehead shushed him, tugging as hard as she could on his pants leg. "Get down before they see you!"

Ralph, while miffed at being reprimanded by a ten year old, did as he was told, crouching down next to the cake-themed girl.

Below them, Vanellope greeted her 'guests.' "Hello, fellow racers." Putting her hands behind her back, she nodded towards the two approaching her. "Taffyta, Rancis, you're looking well. Came by to check out the competition, huh? Well, here it is, the Lickety-Split!" She the last part with a wide smile, even doing a kind of half-skip, half-dance as she showed it off.

Ralph leaned over to Candlehead, a look of dissent on his face. "Yeesh! Looks like she built it herself."

Candlehead was about to tell him to either be quiet or be nice (maybe both) when Vanellope echoed, "I built it myself."

Candlehead's palm quickly met her face. It wasn't that she'd said it, but that she said it so smugly. Was that really necessary?

Vanellope then showed off how the Split worked. To Candlehead it was almost painful to watch.

While Rancis chuckled mockingly behind her, Taffyta said lazily, "Oh, Vanellope... It's so... you. But you have to back out of the race." She licked her sucker absentmindedly. "Yeah."

"Oh, no, I don't," Vanellope rebutted, climbing out of the Split. "...because I paid my fee and I'm on thee board, so, yeah, I'm definitely racing."

Scowling, Taffyta flicked her sucker towards Vanellope. "Yeah, well, King Candy says glitches can't race."

"I'm not a glitch, Taffyta," She refuted, though the look on her face gave off the feeling that even she didn't believe it. "I've just got Pixlexia, o-zzzz-kay?" As if on command, her form glitched briefly, her voice distorting slightly.

Taffyta, now looking smug, smirked at the glitchy girl. "The rules are there for a reason Vanellope." She started to walk towards the Split. "To protect us. Say I'm you." Taffyta then leaped into the Split, gripping it's steering wheel. "I'm in my weird little car, and I actually feel kind of cool for once. And then, all of a sudden, oh no. I'm gl-gl-gl, gl-gl-gl, glitching!" With a mocking tone and exaggerated movement, she jerked hard on the steering wheel, snapping it off.

"Hey!" Vanellope yelled, glitching in distress.

"See?" Taffyta sneered as she jumped out of the peddle kart. "You're an accident just waiting to happen." With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the broken steering wheel hard at Vanellope, eliciting a glitch on impact.

"Oh no!" Jubileena suddenly jumped forward, moving jerkily as she did so. "I'm gl-gl-gl-glitching, too!" With a mocking look o her face, she slammed her hands on the Split's hood, cracking it.

Candlehead was shocked. Out of all the racers, Jubileena was the kindest, sweetest, most loving character in the game. To see her do something so mean-spirited and... _cruel_... it defied reality.

That shock was nothing, however, when all of the racers swarmed the kart, ripping and smashing the poor thing into oblivion.

Beside her, Ralph face twisted into a look of disbelieving depression. "Uncool."

Despite her words earlier, Vanellope lost it seeing all her hard work being destroyed. "Stop it! Stop! You-zzz-'re breaking it!" They ignored her, continuing the destruction. "Please!" She yelled in desperation, grabbing Taffyta by the arm and dragging her from the scrap heap that was once her kart. As she pulled, she started glitching again, the glitch enveloping Taffyta. "I just want to race like you guys!"

Scowling, Taffyta pulled her arm free, before advancing on the glitchy girl. "You will never be a racer, because you're a glitch." To prove her point, she poked the retreating Vanellope in the chest hard, sending a ripple through her unstable code. "And that's all you'll ever be!"

With that, she shoved Vanellope, hard enough to take her off her feet, sending the girl into a puddle of soured chocolate milk.

Seeing this, Candlehead's shock broke, replaced with a something she had never felt before. In that instant, a lifetime of friendship and companionship with Taffyta was severed. Her candle burnt hotter then it ever had, thick black smoke pouring off it reflecting her inner feelings. Her insides felt hot, an even more intense fire ignited. She felt...

Angry.

She opened her mouth to scream for them all to stop it, reputation be damned (she felt a bit of potty-mouth was warranted), but someone beat her to it.

"Hey!" Ralph yelled, jumped up, and pointed a massive finger towards the racers at group of racers. "Leaver her alone!"

All of the racers snapped their heads away from the kart and towards the sound of the noise, surprised.

Ralph ran down the hill, roaring and waving his arms like a madman. The racers scattered, Minty giving off a shrill shriek at the sight of the massive man charging towards them. They all jumped into their karts, Vanellope and the Split forgotten, and tore off down the road, looking franticly behind them.

"Scram, you little cavities!" Ralph yelled at the retreating racers, taking a swipe at Taffyta's kart that missed by inches. "Before I throw you in the mud!" As the racers sped off out of sight, he kicked the dust in frustration.

With the racers gone and the action over with, Candlehead ran down the hill, making a bee-line for Vanellope. Said girl pulled herself out of the mud (it really was the best description of the stuff), wiping her nose with her sleeve. A small sniffle escaped her.

"Vanellope!" Candlehead yelled as she neared the girl.

Vanellope looked up as the green-haired girl stopped in front of her. "Candlehead?"

"Vanellope... I..." Candlehead struggled to find words. _I... what? I'm sorry my friends treated you like complete trash? I'm sorry I hid up on the hill like a coward?_

For a brief moment, Vanellope's eyes held a trace of anger, of bitterness. But then, she took a deep breath, and let out a sigh. Whatever she was feeling, Candlehead didn't deserve to be subjugated to it. "It's okay." She whispered out, turning to walk back to the remains of her kart. When she did, she caught sight of Ralph staring at her, what passed for concern etched on his face. "What are you looking at?" She asked as she walked to her kart.

Ralph let out a huff, his concern pushed aside in place of his original anger. "You're welcome, you rotten little thief."

"I'm not a thief! I just borrowed you're stupid coin." She was dimly aware of Candlehead sitting down next to her, watching the two with interest. "I was going to giving it back to you as soon as I won the race." She peered into the shattered remains of the karts engine block. _Huh, most of the gears are intact. Cool._

Ralph rubbed his temples briefly, before, speaking again. "It's not a coin. It is a medal!"

Vanellope just rolled her eyes as she fiddled with one of the gears. "Coin, medal, whatever." She looked behind herself at him, more annoyed than anything else. "Just go back to you're own dumb game and win another one."

Getting frustrated, Ralph circled the kart so he could face the two girls. "I can't. I didn't win it in my game. I won it in _Hero's Duty_."

Vanellope froze her tinkering, her form glitching. She looked up at Ralph, her gaze glancing briefly to Candlehead and then back. "_Hero's... Doodie_?" A laugh sputtered it's way out of her mouth.

Candlehead resisted the urge to facepalm again. _Really? She's that immature?_

Ralph let out an exasperated sigh. "It's not that kind of duty."

Candlehead almost groaned. _Don't encourage her!_

Vanellope just laughed again, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "I bet you really got to watch your step in a game called _Hero's Doodie! _What did you win the medal for, wiping?"

Ralph, realizing that resistance was futile, just put his hands on his hips and waited impatiently for her to finish.

Still giggling, the glitchy girl kept going. "I hope you washed your hands after you handled that medal."

Patience gone, the giant of a man tried to cut her off. "Listen-!"

"One more, one more! Why did the hero flush the toilet?" When stayed silent, she gestured to him. "Say why."

"Why?" he deadpanned.

"Because it was his Doodie!"

Through it all, Candlehead just listened, waiting for Vanellope to get bored or Ralph to lose it.

Apparently, it was the latter. "How dare you insult _Hero's Duty, _you little gutter-snipe. I earned that medal! And you better get it back for me toot-sweet, sister!"

Here humor dying down, Vanellope let out a sigh. "Well, unless you got a go-kart hidden in the fat-folds of your neck, I can't help you!"

For a terrifying instant, at least from Candlehead's perspective, Ralph put his massive hands around Vanellope's head, just inches from actually touching her. If he wanted to hurt her, he could. Instead, he suddenly ran between the two girls and started to wreck the candy landscape. His wrecking came to a quick stop, however, when his fist hit something that didn't break, only succeeding it an inch or so into the ground. He hit it again, harder, only to send it deeper. This apparently hit some kind of berserker button, as he quickly started to just wail on the thing with reckless abandon.

Candlehead, who by this point had gotten up and now stood next to Vanellope, leaned over to her and whispered, "Um, he does realize you can't break a jawbreaker, right."

Vanellope just shook her head. "Nope. _(sigh)_ What a moron." Cupping her hands over her mouth, she shouted. "Hey, genius! It's a jawbreaker. You're never gonna break-"

_***CRACK!***_

Vanellope glitched in shock, and Candlehead would have too if she was able. He broke it in half. Nothing could break a jawbreaker, _nothing_! And yet, he had.

"Huh." Vanellope said, impressed. Then, a thought hit her. She turned to Candlehead, holding her hands up in a 'wait on second' kind of way. "I got an idea." With that, she ran of towards the peeved-off pulverizer.

Candlehead, a bid baffled, just followed her, although at a slower pace.

As Ralph started to calm down, breathing heavily and a tad tired, he sat down on a half-buried jawbreaker to clear his head.

"Enjoy your little tantrum, diaper baby?"

He looked up to see Vanellope, smiling smugly while she leaned on another jawbreaker.

"Leave me alone." He grunted.

"Look," Vanellope said as she climbed and stood atop the jawbreaker, so that she could look him in the eye. "You want that medal, right? And I want to race. So here's what I'm thinking. You help me get a new kart- a _real_ kart!- And I'll win the race and get you back your medal!"

Ralph let out a humorless laugh. "You want me to help you?" he asked disbelievingly.

Vanellope nodded. "All you got to do is break something for me. C'mon, what do you say, friend?"

_(Pause)_ "We are not friends."

"Aw, come on pal. You old son-of-a-gun." Silence. "Come on buddy. Let's shake on it."

"Wait a second!" Candlehead's sudden appearance surprised them both. Truthfully, they had kind of forgotten she was there.

"Vanellope, can I talk to you for a second?" Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Vanellope by the arm and dragger her off the jawbreaker. "Please excuse us for a second, Mr. Wreck-It."

Ralph couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as the cake-themed girl dragged Vanellope a little ways off, the glitchy girl protesting the whole way, but soon went back to moping.

Once they were far enough away, Candlehead turned to Vanellope, right as she started another protest. "Candlehead, what the heck are you..."

"Vanellope." Candlehead's tone quickly shut her up. It was that of someone about to begin scolding someone else. "You asked Mr. Wreck-It over there to help you get a kart. How exactly is he going to do that?"

Vanellope, to her credit, seemed to know she'd been caught. She looked down at the ground, kicking the dirt a little. "Like I said, he just has to break something."

Candlehead just nodded, not buying it for a second. "Uh huh. And, um, would this 'something' be the door to the kart factory?"

Vanellope's head seemed to sink a bit lower. "Maybe..."

Candlehead let out a groan. "Oh, Vanellope, are you crazy!? If you get caught breaking in there, King Candy will throw you in the Fungeon until Sugar Rush gets unplugged! Why would you risk that?"

"Because this is my chance!" Candlehead was taken aback by the intensity of her gaze. Vanellope took a deep breath. Then she looked Candlehead straight in the eyes, her own amber orbs surprisingly soft. "Look, Candlehead, I've spent the last fifteen years hiding in the outskirts of this game, watching you and the other race all day long. I've watched you race, I've watched you crash, I've seen each and every one of you on the winner's podium so many times I know your winning animations by heart. And every day, all I've wanted is to by up there, with you, with Taffyta, with Rancis, even with King Blandy himself, just racing and doing what I was put here to do.

To Candlehead's surprise , Vanellope's eyes started to look misty. She kept going. "And now, I have a chance! If I can get a kart, a _real,_ working, game-licensed kart, then I can get out on the racetracks! I can go out, and win a trophy, and I can finally prove..." she trailed off, looking down at the ground, her dark bangs falling over her face,

Candlehead, speechless, took a step forward. "Prove what, Vanellope?"

Vanellope was silent for a moment. When she looked up, tears were threatening to spill over her eyelids. Her voice was little more than a whisper. "That there's a reason I exist."

Stunned. That was the only word that could describe how Candlehead felt. Stunned. Stunned at how anybody could feel that way about themselves, that they would need to question why they were here. But then she thought about what Taffyta had said, what King Candy had always said. According to them... Vanellope shouldn't exist.

Two seconds. That's all it took for Candlehead to come to a decision. A decision that was going to make her life a lot more complicated, but at the same time, all the more better.

She decided... that King Candy... _was wrong._

Candlehead rushed forward, enveloping Vanellope in a tight hug, one which the girl was not expecting. Just like the last one, it took her a moment to return the gesture, her stunned look fading into a thankful smile.

Candlehead pulled away quickly, but kept her eyes locked to Vanellope's. With a determined smile, she declared, "Let's go get you a kart."

Vanellope beamed, before wrapping Candlehead in a massive bear hug, taking Candlehead for another 'I'm-so-happy-I'm-glitching' ride. When she let her go, they both started walking back to Ralph.

"So," Candlehead couldn't help but ask. "Did you really steal this guys medal."

Vanellope let out a loud groan. "I was gonna give it back after I won!"

Candlehead raised an eyebrow. "In your peddle kart." She stated.

"Hey! I'll have you know that The Lickety Split can... or, at least, could... reach up to seventy miles an hour."

Candlehead put up her hands defensively. "Okay, okay! Just saying."

They walked in silence for a moment, before Vanellope sighed. "That bad, huh?"

Candlehead nodded. "For placing? Maybe. For winning...?" She let that hang.

Vanellope sighed again, before straightening up. "Well, I'm just going to have to change that."

When they reached Ralph, who was still stewing, but a bit calmer, Vanellope climbed and stood atop the jawbreaker once more. "Okay, Mr. Ralph. My deal stands. You help me get a kart, and I will win your medal back. Deal?" She asked, holding out her hand.

Ralph was half-tempted to ignore her, but when he looked at her, he saw something in her eyes. Something... familiar...

"...Augh! You better win!" And with that, they shook.

Candlehead jerked her thumb towards the hill she had been hiding behind before. "We can take my kart. It'll be faster."

Vanellope cheered. "Cool! I get to ride in a real kart!" And she ran off.

Candlehead chuckled and ran after her, Ralph following much more reluctantly.

* * *

From the top of the opposite hill, a pair of hazel colored eyes watched the group of three as they left, only one thought running through there owner's head.

_What the heck is going on?_

* * *

**A/n:**

**I'm sorry.**

**I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI' msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'ms orryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msor ryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI' msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'ms orryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msor ryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry I'M SORRY!**

**Okay, that out of the way: why I'm sorry.**

**As you all know, I made a schedule for when I would update my stories, both this one and my Storm Hawks one. As you also know, I did not keep to my schedule. The reason is simple: as I have learned over the course of the last month, I'm just not the kind of writer that can put out a new chapter every single week. I take a lot longer writing my stories than I thought I did, and I also discovered that I don't have near as much down time as I thought I did to write. And that thing a month back about how I work better under pressure? Yeah, as I have recently discovered, that's not true. At all. Not even remotely.**

**The last week has been one of the most stressful of my life, knowing that people who like my work, who look forward to my updates, who might even in some small way respect me are waiting on me... an with every passing second, I'm letting them down. To them, all I can do is apologize, and hope for forgiveness. **

**As to however sent me messages asking for where the update was: I must apologize majorly to them. Why? Because I am a complete and total wimp. I have been so afraid of how mad people may be and how many people that might be that I haven't checked my e-mail since Monday. As soon as this is posted, I'm going to check it and face the music.**

**So, when will the next update be? I have no idea. It could be next week, it could be next month, and that goes for my other story as well. I'm sorry if that seems mean or lazy, but it's just the way I work. So, as I sit at my computer at 3:41 A.M. with a re-run of Shutter Island playing in the background, I say I'm sorry, farewell, and I'll see you next time.**


	4. Chapter 4: Intruder

**Chapter 4: Intruder**

"This is never gonna work."

"You got a better idea, Ham-Hands?"

"Um, guys, I'm trying to drive and-"

"Give me two minutes and I'd have a dozen plans better then this!"

"Hey, it's no picnic for me either, bub."

"Um, could you both please stop-?"

"At least you can feel your legs!"

"Barely! And, jeez, when was the last time you took a bath? Honestly, I've drank soured milt that smelled-"

_Screech!_

"Ow! My head!"

"Eeeyouch! Candle! What's the big idea-?"

"We are less then a mile from the bakery gates, I can barely keep the front wheels on the road, and I am trying very hard to ignore the fact that I'm about to break every rule ever imposed upon _Sugar Rush_. So, I would very much appreciate it if you would both kindly BE QUIET!"

"..."

"..."

"...thank you."

With a sharp jerk of the shifter, the Ice Screamer lurched forward, slowly gaining speed as the gears ground in protest.

_Well,_ Candlehead thought. _ At least I'll have some evidence to back it up._

As the Kart Bakery drew closer, Candlehead's fingers drummed nervously on the steering wheel. When the security both came into view, she gulped in fear.

_Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it..._

Candlehead stopped at the gate, plastering on a smile that she begged looked legit. The grin quickly fell when she saw the guard sleeping behind the glass.

"Excuse me." She called out to the man. He didn't stir. With a sigh, Candlehead stood up on her seat and rapped on the glass. "Excuse me?" She called a little louder. Nothing. With a huff, she sat back down.

_HOOOONNNNKKK!_

"Yaahh!" The man yelled in shock as he jumped out of his chair, looking wildly around for a threat. Instead he saw a mint-haired girl waiting at the gate, the picture of patience.

"Good evening, Beard Papa." She said politely.

"Oh, uh, evenin', Candlehead." Beard Papa welcomed awkwardly. "What brings you around here?"

"Oh, I just came down to do some repairs."

"Repairs?" he said confusedly, leaning out of the security box to look over the kart.

Candlehead let out a brief laugh that was a bit too high pitch. "Yeah, I think Adorabeezle got in a lucky shot during the last race. The whole kart has been favoring the back end since closing time."

Beard Papa scanned the kart with a critical eye. Sure enough, the entire kart's weight seemed to be focused on the rear axle. The front end seemed ready to leave the ground at any moment.

He put a hand to his chin in thought. "I don't know... it's pretty late for a repair job, isn't it?"

Candlehead glanced upwards nervously towards the deep orange sky. In about an hour, the whole game would be shrouded in darkness. On the fringes of the game, one could already see the gleam of simulated stars.

"Please, Beard Papa? I promise not to take too long. An hour, maybe two at the most."

Beard Papa stroked his beard, still thinking. "I don't think..."

Unfortunately, he made the mistake of looking back towards the petite racer, as he was greeted with the sight of two unnaturally large, watery eyes and a quivering lower lip.

"...that you should take any longer then an hour." He finished, sighing in defeat.

In a flash, Candlehead's puppy-dog look morphed into a beaming smile. "Of course, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Beard Papa just rolled his eyes, though a ghost of a smile formed on his lips. "Yeah, yeah," he said as he pushed a button in the booth, raising the gate. "Just don't take too long. Remember, one hour."

"Yes, sir!" Candlehead replied, giving a salute. She then put the kart in gear, eliciting a a sickening scream of protesting metal.

Beard Papa had to cover his ears as the girl drove away. Once she had disappeared through the bakery doors, he uncovered them and sat back down in his chair. He had one hour before he had to make Candlehead leave. That was one more hour he could nap.

* * *

While the Kart Bakery's main function to, well, make karts, it also contained a string of workshops along the buildings opposite side for kart repairs. Though wrecked karts would simply respawn in pristine condition, one that was simply damaged, but still running, would remain so. At that point, a racer had two options: either wreck the kart on purpose to force a respawn, or to take it to a workshop and repair the damage themselves. While most racers would opt for the easy way and push their kart into Molten Chocolate Marsh, a rare few preferred to do the hard work and get an extra bit of satisfaction at hearing their engine purr, Candlehead among them.

Therefore, it was with practiced ease that Candlehead reversed into her favored shop, trying to ignore the groaning coming from the back of the kart.

Once it was in place, she turned off the engine. She sat there in silence for a moment, steeling herself, before pressing a button on the dashboard.

_Click!_

"Whoa!"

"Whaaa!"

The entire kart shook as the trunk slammed open, a massive mound of red and orange spilling out. A tiny ball of green quickly followed.

"Ow..." Ralph groaned as he lay face-down on the floor. Vanellope made a similar sound next to him, though she landed on her back.

Candlehead, having already climbed out of her kart, leaned over the pair. "Are you two okay?"

Ralph was the first to respond, pushing himself up with a grunt. "Well, I can feel my legs again, so that's a plus."

"Airrrrr," Vanellope moaned loudly. "Glorious, fresh airrrrr..."

Candlehead rolled her eyes, then offered Vanellope a hand. As Vanellope was pulled up, however, the sudden loss of code flowing to her head made her light-headed, making her fall forward into Candlehead's chest.

Candlehead's cheeks flared up at the sudden unexpected weight against her. When Vanellope tried to stand up again, the top of her head collided softly with the bottom of Candlehead's chin. Somewhere in the back of the young racer's mind, she took note of how the glitchy girl's head fit perfectly into the crook of her neck.

Finally able to stand up straight, Vanellope offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry Candle. Guess I stood up too fast."

Fighting down her unexpected (and frankly confusing) blush, Candlehead simply nodded. "'S-'So-kay..." She squeaked, her voice a _lot_ higher then she wanted it. She cleared her throat before bobbing her head towards a nearby door. "Let's, uh... let's go into the bakery."

Blush still evident, Candlehead marched mechanically out the door. Ralph and Vanellope shared a look, shrugged, and followed her.

The door led into a long hallway, a row of matching doors running up the right side at equal intervals. Various objects lay stacked outside each door, ranging from random parts, toolboxes, even spare axle, which lay propped against the wall. The place had a friendly enough feel to it, what with the bright green walls and tan reflecting floor, but with the only sound in the building being the massive thuds of Ralph's walking, the mood was a tad unsettling.

After only a minute of walking they came to a large (at least to Candlehead and Vanellope) padlocked door. On it was the image of a green-skinned Vanellope scowling at them, the words "NO GLITCHES" in big letters below it. Candlehead was familiar with the image, having seen it plastered in every store window throughout the town. Supposedly, it had been designed by King Candy himself. The warning use to scare Candlehead whenever she had seen it, this exaggerated caricature of a hyped-up unknown. After having met the 'dangerous' Glitch herself, not only was Candlehead not scare by it, but she know found it rather childish.

Seeing the door, Vanellope skipped forward and turned around, a wide gin on her face. "All right, do you thing, knuckles. Bust it open!" She said, rubbing her hands together with glee.

Instead, Ralph gestured towards the warning in disbelief. "What's this?" He turned to Vanellope accusingly. "You're a full-on criminal, aren't you?"

Vanellope crossed her arms, her brow furrowed. "Hey, we shook on it."

Ralph stared at her for a moment. Then, with a deep huff, he reared back his fist an effortlessly smashed the door from it's hinges, sending splinters of wood and bits of metal flying everywhere.

Vanellope's eyebrows raised, impressed. Then she gave Ralph a little salute. "Thank you, Jeeves." Then she walked into the room, stepping over bits of door.

Candlehead, deciding to be a tad bit more respectful, folded her hands in front of her and gave Ralph a small bow. "Thank you, Mr. Wreck-It." She then followed after Vanellope.

Ralph rolled his eyes, though a small smile formed as he ducked through the door frame.

A large curtain blocked most of the bakery floor. The two girls simply pushed it aside, entering the darkness with only a large red dot of red on the floor giving off light. As Ralph entered, he looked around, confused. "What is this place? Where are the karts?"

Vanellope leapt onto the red light, a large button. All around the inside of the curtain, eight signs lit up, each one showing the design of a different kind of basic kart. "You gotta make one." Vanellope replied matter-o-factly.

At this, Ralph jumped, before waving his arms in front of him. "What? No, no, no. "Look, kid, bad idea. Trust me. I don't make things. I break things." He added, almost dejectedly.

Vanellope simply turned to him and smirked. "Well, it looks like you're gonna be stepping outside your comfort zone, then, Gladys." She glanced around briefly, before her eyes locked onto a design, which Candlehead noted as being the same basis for Crumbelina's Tira-Missile. "Oh, this is a good one!

Vanellope ran up to select the kart. She was just a step away, her fingers outstretched, when...

_Clang!_

The metallic, hollow sound echoed throughout the entire bakery. All three of them froze at the noise. Despite the sound ringing around, there was no mistaking where it had originated:

The door they had entered through.

Candlehead felt her core thud loudly against her chest. Someone was right outside the bakery. One of them had to go check out who. She looked first at Vanellope, who she quickly dismissed because, well, she _is_ the Glitch and whoever it was would recognize her on sight. Her gaze then went to Ralph. He had explained to them on the drive in how the donut cops were looking for him, and if it was them out there, they were all in trouble. And if it was anyone else, well, a man eight feet taller then whoever it was suddenly walking out the door would probably send them screaming out of the building.

So, that left only one option:

Herself.

With a nervous gulp, Candlehead turned to her companions. "I'll go check it out." She whispered. Then she made for the door, before she lost what little nerve she had.

When she reached the curtain, however, a soft voice sounded behind her.

"Candle!"

She looked back to see Vanellope staring at her intently. The cocky look that was usually in her eyes was replaced with worry.

"Be careful."

Vaguely aware at a warmth that jumped to her cheeks, Candlehead nodded to her, trying to give a confident smile. Then she slipped between the curtain.

She tip-toed to the shattered door, careful not to step on any thing that could make a sound. Once she reached the frame, she peeked out... and gasped.

She had actually been expecting a lot of things. Beard Papa coming to check on her. The donut cops searching for Ralph. King Candy doing a surprise inspection.

What she didn't expect was...

"Jubileena!?"

Sure enough, the red-head racer was sitting on the ground holding onto her knee. Behind her, the axle that had been up against the wall now lay on the floor.

Jubileena looked up, her hazel eyes widening at being found. She gave a nervous, sheepish smile. "Hey, Candlehead! So, uh... how's things?"

Candlehead, having walked up to the intruder, ("Ironic," she thought to herself.) knelt down to her, head cocked to the side. "Jubileena, what are you doing here?"

The cherry-themed racer rubbed her sore knee for a moment. Then she looked Candlehead right in the eye. "Shouldn't I be the one asking that?"

At the accusatory tone in her voice, Candlehead quickly remembered where she was, who she was with. She let out a nervous chuckle. "Wha-What do you mean? I'm just here to do some repairs."

Jubileena slowly rose to her feet, though she seemed to favor her right foot over her left. She put her hands on her hips. "Really? Because, I just checked you're kart, and it's in perfect condition."

Candlehead felt her code run cold briefly, before scrambling with an answer. "That's because, um... I fixed it already! Yeah!"

Jubileena simply cocked an eyebrow. "But then, why are you still here? And for that matter, why were you in the bakery?"

"Because... um... uh..." she stuttered. "Because... I... was... bored?" She offered weakly.

Jubileena stared at her for a moment. Then she let out a long sigh, which quickly turned into a light giggle. "Jeez, Candlehead! I knew you were a bad liar, but... wow!"

Candlehead felt her ears warm in embarrassment. If there was one thing that ticked her off, it was people laughing at her, even if it was good-naturedly, like Jubileena seemed to be doing. Still, she kept quiet, deciding that the longer Jubileena stayed laughing, the longer she stayed out of the factory.

That train of thought went careening right of the rails when Jubileena calmed down, looked Candlehead right in her deep green eyes, and asked a simple, short question.

"Now, tell me something, Candlehead: why are you helping the Glitch?"

* * *

**A/n: Long wait + cliffhanger = me hiding under my desk.**

**I apologize for the long wait, (and the fact that very little happens in this chapter) but I just had to put something up to proof I'm not dead. Rest assured, this story has not been, nor will it ever be, forgotten. It's just that with me juggling college, a night shift, and a novel I've started writing after two years of planning, my time for FanFic-ing has been significantly slashed. I will try to find time to write, but all I ask for is patience. Oh, and reviews, 'cause those are always nice. =D**

**Special thanks this chapter to Xaidon over on Deviantart for the kick-ass cover art, which you all probably saw on your way in.**

**See you next time!**


End file.
